HER TURN TO BURN

The lights dimmed.

The crowd in the warehouse rose to their feet, clapping, shouting, some even crying.

It wasn't just a fashion show. It was a war cry in silk and stitches.

Elena stood behind the curtain, her hands trembling, not from fear this time, but from power.

She had done it. Without sponsors. Without the industry. Without apologies.

And they came. They came in droves.

The moment the last model walked off the stage, her assistant ran over. "We're trending," she whispered. "Everywhere. Twitter. Instagram. TikTok. You just broke the internet."

But Marry's mind was already ahead.

Because tonight wasn't about followers or applause. Tonight was about justice. And revenge had a name: Marry.

At that exact moment, across the city, Marry was celebrating her own private victory.

She sipped champagne, wearing one of her stolen designs, the same one she submitted to an international fashion board under her label.

She had no idea Elena had already exposed her.

Because just as Elena's final design walked down the runway, an anonymous social account dropped a side-by-side comparison of Marry's latest line and sketches dated two years ago, all bearing Elena's signature watermark.

Fashion pages reposted it within minutes. Then gossip blogs. Then TV.

"BREAKING: Did New York's top designer steal her best friend's work?"

Marry's phone exploded with messages. At first, she laughed. Then she saw the screenshots. Then the timestamps. Then the video of Elena's speech after the show.

"I was silent for too long. But silence feeds thieves.

This is me, unfiltered, unbought, unbroken."

Marry's smile dropped. The glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the marble floor.

Meanwhile, Cole's office was back to life. He had reopened it under a new name: Reclaim Tech.

And tonight, he'd invited investors , the same ones who laughed at him when he lost everything. The same ones Marry had courted, using Elena's stolen story as her own.

But this time… Cole had the proof.

As they entered the room, he connected his laptop to the projector. And with one click, the room fell silent.

Emails. Wire transfers. Hidden accounts.Marry and Johnson's names tied together like a noose. He ended with a slide showing Elena's fashion show, a simple caption beneath it:

"You backed the wrong thief. Now back the real legacy."

By the time he closed the laptop, three investors had already stood up, offering their support.

But Cole didn't smile. He wasn't in it for the applause either. He just wanted Elena's name restored.

Later that night, Elena walked into his office, still wearing her show's final look, a fiery red suit that looked like rebellion sewn into fabric.

She didn't speak. Just stood there, looking at him.

Finally, Cole rose. "It's done."

"I saw," she whispered. "You didn't have to…"

"Yes, I did."

They stared at each other in silence. Then, she walked toward him slowly.

"I was angry," she said. "But not because you were weak. I was angry because I was starting to trust again, and it scared me."

Cole stepped closer. "You still scared?"

She looked up into his eyes. Then shook her head slowly. "Not anymore."

He reached for her hand. She didn't pull away.

Instead, she leaned in, forehead to forehead, and in that quiet space between them, everything unsaid was suddenly understood.

They had been broken, used, betrayed. But not destroyed. Not anymore.

Meanwhile…

Marry wasn't done.Not even close.

In her rage, she did something reckless , something desperate.

She called Johnson.

And Johnson?

He answered.